New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-27
FRENCH FICTION.
TIE Observation-Disclosures SCHOOL.

moment of that doctrine of psychologist fiction which
has tax N so strong hold upon the French taste OF
late years and the influence OF winch las passed
Gar bevoud the frontiers of France. Nor can the
ability OF NJ Bonrget Toe seriously questioned. He
possesses a remarkable analytic skill, an equally
rare penetration into the obscure impulses OF men
and women piiles,ly clear and exhaustive
method Of exposition, a subtlc discrimination. 4
style az once viri'e and fluent. young man, he
has already achieved a reputation which iucrcts-
ing with the s,,ady progress o. mastery p his pro-
fesSon. He is indeed representative writer, aud
representative OF "a school whicl arfOs Itcs to itself
marked superiority over that OF lola. claiming
that II follows a higher line of development. and
that its psychology is on 4 much loftier plane
than the naturalIsm Of tho Rellists. II j.,
therefore. worth while 70 inquire seriously what
NJ. Paul BoIrgct has brought to French fiction;
what e!ovating tendencies he has impaired to II
10 what extent; # az ali, his analytic romanc's sur
pass. from the ethical pJnt OF view those OF the
Zolaists.
About hundred years ago Retif de Ia BretOnnc
published what purporloI - be an aut photography
of which the subtitle wa The Truman Heart Tn
yeicd.' Nonsicqr Nicolqs belong, now in the
catalogue of TIRES cltt II ranks with tie
Memoirs of Casanova and the Contest onS Of
Jean Jacques Rousseau. II is orc Of the most
absolutely shameless records ever written. Its
preteNCcU pS}CNOlOgN l. SlCkr0ihE Sc llulcldItN
hardly less revolving than l., cynical brutality Of
revelation And yet there l. visible distinct line
OF kinship between this product o. the Revolution
and the lacst lit erary ei)Io OF ;Ic Republic.
The thread of connection between Rctlf and BOur-
get consists IN the nature and trc limitations OF
Their main thesis There Is certainly prof ound
difference in their methods of trettHent bat II Is
not so much a difference in kind y IN degree; II Is
the difference between the telling Of broad story
al the bar of pothouse and in the Smokucroom
Of a fashionable club In the century which sep
arates the two writer's what has French fiction
gained. and low has it grown In 1857 we find 1t
still travelling in the vicious circle its feet had
already worn deep in 1896. 1t has refined lis
methods. Inaeel Il affects the scientific proceed
urc. 1t talks much OF psychology. Bat the rising
hope of the higlcst school, wien h n his t1rn
endeavors TO "urvcil the human heart confines
his anayir research. hls microscopic studies. his
clinical ex eriments a. exclusively as his eish-
tcenth-ccrtwv predecessor 70 the exploitation of
orotic pass IN and sensual ind I.gn Ic,.
"Mensonces" Is undoubtedly a novel of great
power. Ii i We think. the best y. .urg't mas
written. II hears evidence on every Pare 10 his
acutelc,s. insight and skill of cons ructIOn
But the moie o vious are these proofs 81
power and genus. the re pi.iiul seems their
prostitution. For Is no;nlnG less han an lgnooe
employment OF great gifts To deiIc1te them 10 tIc +
illustration OF that hch is low 50 and vllcSt IA
human nature. There are passages IN TINS BOOK /
which make the thoughtful reader blush for his /
race 50 pa on essly candid the descriptions of
the animal phases of humanity. Ore need no; /
deny the Truth OF the presentation 10 find ground |
Oi complaint against The method, however. II lSal (
the more unspeakable because tine. ard its realism
is all the more bad )rt because Of Its fidelity 10 GER
tain kind o. nature. But what's perhaps most GU |
no has Nyr a
domination If his school AT the close OF the sad. !
mi eflble STORY one OF the principal p"rsonages |
novGiict and man of letters ma ned Claude, IS de- /
Tending before the Able TacOnet, the method Of /
personal experiment IN passion, as condnciYe to /
knowledge aud insight and necessary equip ,
ment for the writer. % To write he SAYS. Is 10
transform orr, self IN the field of Nperences into
subject to be inOculated with passion What /
Claude Bernard does with hi, dogs, what Pasteur |
does with his rabbits. ought t. d.. We writer,
with our hearts, and inject them with al the viru,
of the soul of humanity. We onght 10 have tested |
were 1t but for hour. the thousand emotions |
which convulsc mon, our equal 10 this the aobe /
responds "Since yOu speak of science, what would
you say of physician who under pretelce Of study
ing IN his person some contagious disease not |
only took 1t himself but commppIcatedit TO whole
CITY ," That is the for the prosecution against
NJ Paul Bourgct andhs school. 10 less than against |
NJ Zola aud his followers.
II is not only contradiction in terms but
significant evidence of the DEGRADATION of French
fiction that this kind Of work should be dignlfed
, with the appelGtiOn "psychologlc. with the !
mysteries of he human soul the higher self, IT has
nothing to do. II is in fact physiological not psychic
logical; tie analysis of physical sensations and |
appettcs studied IN specially depraved and cor |
rupted subjects 1t is essentially morbid and |
abnormal. d to present II as research into human !
nature is as unscientinc would be an attempt to
base system of physiology upon the chDic' OF
leper 10 ptal The vicious artIfciality Of the |
whole environment of the French psychologic |
school of fiction is strikingly illustrated In tho
characters Of VI. Bourgeois heroes. They are OF the
same type all his stories In Cruelle En- igmc,'
in "Cn Crime dAmOur" i'll Andre Cornelis" as
in the "Mensonges." they exhibit an ideal which |
A. hopeessly debased. Have we to do with that |
favorlte type with French novelIsts, young man |
of genius he is certainly presented innocent and
pure but what this really means is shown when |
he succumbs to his first erotc temptation, plungss
into Illicit intrigues without scrupe. and only |
intimates the oftiness of his mind in passionate !
outbreaks against the faithlcssness to hm-elf OF !
his neighbOr's wife. His genius too Is always |
developed on the same lines. lie writes |
moving poems on tie subject of Love
and French love at that. His tendencies |
are all earthly and sensual. and the reader escapes
cheaply if they are not also devilish. or true as
piration, Of any upward seeking, of any deep emo
ton unconnected with sensual passion there Is no
trace In the French genius Of modern fiction the
animal is always uppermost. and indeed, has no
formidable task to encounter IN strangllng the
feeble forth2uttings of higher impulse. which
never rise beyond certain conventional refine
ment. and sentimentahty 50 purely physical as to
be az no time far removed from sensuality.
These, too, are the nOble5t types introduced or
the women who play the leading paris 1t would be
difficult to speak too strongly. NJ Bourget has two
in "Mensonges actress and a woman of the
world and both are shamelessly corrupt. The lat